Crazy Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors

On the sparkling morning of June 25, 1876, 611 men of the US 7th Cavalry rode toward the banks of the Little Bighorn in the Montana Territory, where 3,000 Indians stood waiting for battle. The lives of two great warriors would soon be forever linked throughout history: Crazy Horse, leader of the Oglala Sioux, and General George Armstrong Custer.

The Blood of Heroes: The 13-Day Struggle for the Alamo - and the Sacrifice That Forged a Nation

On February 23, 1836, a Mexican army thousands of soldiers strong attacked a group of roughly 200 Americans holed up in an abandoned mission just east of San Antonio, Texas. For nearly two weeks, the massive force lay siege to the makeshift fort, spraying its occupants with unremitting waves of musket and cannon fire. Then, on March 6th, at 5:30 A.M., the Mexican troops unleashed a final devastating assault: divided into four columns, they rushed into the Alamo and commenced a deadly hand-to-hand fight.

The American West: History, Myth, and Legacy

Our understanding of the American West has moved far beyond pop culture in recent years. The legendary people and events we associate with the Wild West - the last stand at the Alamo, the Battle of Little Bighorn, the exploits of Calamity Jane, the hardships of the Oregon Trail - are even more fascinating once the historical realities have been separated from the myths.

The Last Stand

Little Bighorn and Custer are names synonymous in the American imagination with unmatched bravery and spectacular defeat. Mythologized as Custer's Last Stand, the June 1876 battle has been equated with other famous last stands, from the Spartans' defeat at Thermopylae to Davy Crockett at the Alamo.

Dodge City: Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the Wickedest Town in the American West

Dodge City, Kansas, is a place of legend. The town that started as a small military site exploded with the coming of the railroad, cattle drives, eager miners, settlers, and various entrepreneurs passing through to populate the expanding West. Before long Dodge City's streets were lined with saloons and brothels, and its populace was thick with gunmen, horse thieves, and desperadoes of every sort. By the 1870s Dodge City was known as the most violent and turbulent town in the West.

Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America

Pulitzer Prize, History, 2016. In this magisterial biography, T. J. Stiles paints a portrait of Custer both deeply personal and sweeping in scope, proving how much of Custer's legacy has been ignored. He demolishes Custer's historical caricature, revealing a volatile, contradictory, intense person - capable yet insecure, intelligent yet bigoted, passionate yet self-destructive, a romantic individualist at odds with the institution of the military (he was court-martialed twice in six years).

Son of the Morning Star

This national best-seller vividly reconstructs one of the most unbelievable and controversial battles in American military history—General Custer’s Last Stand in 1876. Why would a seasoned leader like Custer lead 200 U.S. Army soldiers into battle against 2,000 Native American warriors? The answer lies in this book, which captures in stunning detail the heroism, foolishness, and brutality that led to this legendary battle.

The Heart of Everything That Is: The Untold Story of Red Cloud, An American Legend

The great Oglala Sioux chief Red Cloud was the only Plains Indian to defeat the United States Army in a war, forcing the American government to sue for peace in a conflict named for him. At the peak of their chief’s powers, the Sioux could claim control of one-fifth of the contiguous United States. But unlike Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, or Geronimo, the fog of history has left Red Cloud strangely obscured. Now, thanks to painstaking research by two award-winning authors, his incredible story can finally be told.

The Earth Is Weeping: The Epic Story of the Indian Wars for the American West

With the end of the Civil War, the nation recommenced its expansion onto traditional Indian tribal lands, setting off a wide-ranging conflict that would last more than three decades. In an exploration of the wars and negotiations that destroyed tribal ways of life even as they made possible the emergence of the modern United States, Peter Cozzens gives us both sides in comprehensive and singularly intimate detail.

The Day the World Ended at Little Big Horn: A Lakota History

The Battle of Little Bighorn in Montana in 1876 has become known as the quintessential clash of cultures between the Lakota Sioux and whites. The men who led the battle, Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, and Colonel George A. Custer, have become the stuff of legends.

Thunder in the Mountains: Chief Joseph, Oliver Otis Howard, and the Nez Perce War

Oliver Otis Howard thought he was a man of destiny. Chosen to lead the Freedmen's Bureau after the Civil War, the Union Army general was entrusted with the era's most crucial task: helping millions of former slaves claim the rights of citizens. He was energized by the belief that abolition and Reconstruction, the country's great struggles for liberty and equality, were God's plan for himself and the nation.

The Journey of Crazy Horse: A Lakota History

Most of the world remembers Crazy Horse as a peerless warrior who brought the U.S. Army to its knees at the Battle of Little Bighorn. But to his fellow Lakota Indians, he was a dutiful son and humble fighting man who, with valor, spirit, respect, and unparalleled leadership, fought for his people's land, livelihood, and honor. In this fascinating biography, Joseph Marshall, himself a Lakota Indian, creates a vibrant portrait of the man, his times, and his legacy.

Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History

Empire of the Summer Moon spans two astonishing stories. The first traces the rise and fall of the Comanches, the most powerful Indian tribe in American history. The second entails one of the most remarkable narratives ever to come out of the Old West: the epic saga of the pioneer woman Cynthia Ann Parker and her mixed-blood son, Quanah, who became the last and greatest chief of the Comanches.

Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam

By January 1968, despite an influx of half a million American troops, the fighting in Vietnam seemed to be at a stalemate. Yet General William Westmoreland, commander of American forces, announced a new phase of the war in which "the end begins to come into view". The North Vietnamese had different ideas. In mid-1967, the leadership in Hanoi had started planning an offensive intended to win the war in a single stroke.

Undaunted Courage

In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson selected his personal secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis, to lead a voyage up the Missouri River, across the forbidding Rockies, and - by way of the Snake and the Columbia rivers - down to the Pacific Ocean. Lewis and his partner, Captain William Clark, endured incredible hardships and witnessed astounding sights. With great perseverance, they worked their way into an unexplored West. When they returned two years later, they had long since been given up for dead.

The Apache Wars: The Hunt for Geronimo, the Apache Kid, and the Captive Boy Who Started the Longest War in American History

They called him Mickey Free. His kidnapping started the longest war in American history, and both sides - the Apaches and the white invaders - blamed him for it. A mixed-blood warrior who moved uneasily between the worlds of the Apaches and the American soldiers, he was never trusted by either but desperately needed by both. He was the only man Geronimo ever feared. He played a pivotal role in this long war for the desert Southwest from its beginning in 1861 until its end in 1890 with his pursuit of the renegade scout Apache Kid.

My Lai: Vietnam, 1968, and the Descent into Darkness

On the early morning of March 16, 1968, American soldiers from three platoons of Charlie Company entered a group of hamlets located in the Son Tinh district of South Vietnam, located near the Demilitarized Zone and known as "Pinkville" because of the high level of Vietcong infiltration. The soldiers, many still teenagers who had been in the country for three months, were on a "search and destroy" mission. Three hours after the GIs entered the hamlets, more than 500 unarmed villagers lay dead, killed in cold blood.

Lakotas and the Black Hills: The Struggle for Sacred Ground (Penguin Library of American Indian History)

In this enthralling narrative, professor and award-winning author Jeffrey Ostler recounts the Lakota Sioux’s loss of their spiritual homeland and their remarkable legal battle to regain it. Moving easily from battlefields to reservations to Supreme Court chambers, Ostler captures the strength that bore the Lakotas through the worst times and kept alive the dream of reclaiming their cherished lands.

Bill O'Reilly's Legends and Lies: The Patriots

The must-have companion to Bill O'Reilly's historical docudrama Legends and Lies: The Patriots, an exciting and eye-opening look at the Revolutionary War through the lives of its leaders. The American Revolution was neither inevitable nor a unanimous cause. It pitted neighbors against each other as loyalists and colonial rebels faced off for their lives and futures. These were the times that tried men's souls: No one was on stable ground, and few could be trusted.

The Forgotten Soldier

When Guy Sajer joins the infantry full of ideals in the summer of 1942, the German army is enjoying unparalleled success in Russia. However, he quickly finds that for the foot soldier the glory of military success hides a much harsher reality of hunger, fatigue, and constant deprivation. Posted to the elite Grosse Deutschland division, he enters a violent and remorseless world where all youthful hope is gradually ground down, and all that matters is the brute will to survive.

In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors

On July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed in the South Pacific by a Japanese submarine. An estimated 300 men were killed upon impact; close to 900 sailors were cast into the Pacific Ocean, where they remained undetected by the navy for nearly four days and nights. Battered by a savage sea, they struggled to stay alive, fighting off sharks, hypothermia, and dementia. By the time rescue arrived, all but 317 men had died. The captain's subsequent court-martial left many questions unanswered

I Fought with Custer: The Story of Sergeant Windolph

Sergeant Charles Windolph was the last white survivor of the Battle of Little Big Horn when he told his story nearly 70 years later. A six-year veteran in the Seventh Cavalry, Windolph rode in the 1873 Yellowstone Expedition, and the 1874 Black Hills Expedition. He fought in Captain Benteen's troops on the fatal Sunday, and vividly recalls the battle that wiped out Custer's command. Equally vivid is the evidence marshaled by historians Frazier and Robert Hunt.

Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West

In the fall of 1846, the venerable Navajo warrior Narbona, greatest of his people's chieftains, looked down upon the small town of Santa Fe, the stronghold of the Mexican settlers he had been fighting his whole long life. He had come to see if the rumors were true, if an army of blue-suited soldiers had swept in from the East and utterly defeated his ancestral enemies.

Publisher's Summary

In June 1876, on a desolate hill above a winding river called "the Little Bighorn", George Armstrong Custer and all 210 men under his direct command were annihilated by almost 2,000 Sioux and Cheyenne. The news of this devastating loss caused a public uproar, and those in positions of power promptly began to point fingers in order to avoid responsibility. Custer, who was conveniently dead, took the brunt of the blame.

The truth, however, is far more complex. A Terrible Glory is the first book to relate the entire story of this endlessly fascinating battle and the first to call upon all the pertinent research and findings of the past 25 years - which have significantly changed how this controversial event is perceived. Furthermore, it is the first book to bring to light the details of the U.S. Army cover-up and unravel one of the greatest mysteries in U.S. military history.

Scrupulously researched, A Terrible Glory will stand as a landmark work. Brimming with authentic detail and an unforgettable cast of characters - from Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse to Ulysses Grant and Custer himself - this is history with the sweep of a great novel.

What the Critics Say

"An excellent starting point for those seeking an understanding of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Highly recommended." (Library Journal)"A worthy companion to Jay Monahan's Custer, Evan S. Connell's Son of the Morning Star, and other standard studies of the famed cavalryman." (Kirkus Reviews)

A very good book on this most controversial battle. Nice to see that Custer is not the only whipping boy. The author does a good job with timelines of the battle. A good example of a unit with a near total disfunctional officer corps. The narration is excellent. A very fair account of the battle.

This book made me relearn what I thought I knew about George A. Custer. As a product of American schools, my schooling on this subject lasted all of 10 minutes and left me thinking that Custer was a lackadaisical general that picked the wrong fight. But there is so much more to this story, and A Terrible Glory sets the record straight.

If you have any interest in the brutally true story of the American west, you will love this account. It not only documents the Bighorn's major players, it also details many of the unfortunate actions and lies taken agains the Indian nations. It reveals the actions of Custer and his officers, and even details the subsequent military coverup.

I am torn regarding my feelings about this period. Not only did the United States break treaties with the Indians and outright lie to them on many occasions, the Indians were essentially faced with the decision to give up their cultural ways of life and succumb to the "ways of the white man", or face the wrath of being considered hostile and enemies of the United States. In essence, the US endorsed genocide and Custer's army helped carry that out. But part of me couldn't help but feel sympathy for their plights and the times they found themselves in.

Regardless, this book will help you frame your own perspective and keep you entertained and interested throughout.

Most likely few history readers aren't familiar with at least one version of "Custer's Last Stand." A Terrible Glory goes much deeper than retelling the popular version of events. James Donovan uses extensive research to form a brilliant and compelling narrative of individual soldiers and officers and how they all ended up in such a mess on the hills above the Little Bighorn River. The author does a great job explaining the grudges and rivalries among Custer and his senior officers as well as painting a picture of the political context in which Custer was embroiled. As a result, the popular myth of a glory-seeking Custer stumbling to his own demise should be finally removed from the collective perception of events. The narration is perfectly matched to the narrative creating a whole work that you won't want to end.

After Pearl Harbor, "Custer's last stand" is probably the most famous military defeat in American history. This book offers a definitive account of what happened and why. The details on the battlefield actions, the backgrounds of the US soldiers and native American warriors, and the military and tribal customs of the time all reflect thorough and thoughtful research. This book offers all you ever need to know about the famous battle and the key figures in it. It also provides fascinating background on political conditions of the day and the efforts (including outright lies) the surviving officers took to protect their own interests in the investigations that followed Custer's debacle at the Little Big Horn.

The main reason for Custer's defeat was poor intelligence and a failure to reconnoiter carefully before he advanced into battle. He did not appreciate that he was facing an Indian force at least ten times larger than what he had faced before and one that was disposed to fight much harder than those he had faced in the past. His main preoccupation based on previous experience was striking early before the Indians could disperse. That led him to divide his already outmanned force as he prepared his attack on a massive Sioux encampment. He also was let down by subordinate officers who failed to rejoin his main force despite having heard clear reports of heavy gunfire on his position.

Best book this year for me! It captured my attention from the very beginning and held it to the end. Well researched and richly detailed portrayal of the post-Civil War period - cities, outposts and on the frontier. All of the characters, soldiers and Indians, come to life in vivid detail. Totally recast my knowledge of Custer, and painted a completely different picture of him and his role in pacifying the Souix, from the superficial one we all got in high school. Covers his life from the close of the Civil War to the tragedy at Little Big Horn, to the aftermath that occured at Wounded Knee. This one will be tough to beat.

All I knew about Custer was from the movies. This 16 hour book was perfect for my 1,100 mile trip. It is an excellent book which told the entire story from all sides. Very informative about logistics and tactics and the major participants. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the time period

James Donovan has written one of the most graphic pages of a war with Indians. At one point tears came to my eyes at the slaughter we go through. The real point is whether Custer was guilty of malfeasance or was he deserted by fearfull generals. The reader can decide for him or her self. I took the book out of the library to get maps to follow the battles. Unfortunately they were few and far between. As I said , the battles and slaughter will haunt you long after you finish it. The reader, James Boles, is is outstanding.

I have been to the Little Big Horn several times and it was with interest that I followed Custer's "last stand" with the actual scene in mind: the hills, river and site of the indian encampment complemented the story very well.

Without knowing what was going through Custers mind, initially all one can say when standing on the actual battlefield, is "How could he be so arrogant and stupid?". But now having listened to the book can better understand what motivated him, although it was still "arrogant and stupid".

It is also interesting to understand the conflicts that existed between Custer and his officers and why Custer and his men were left alone to be eventually wiped out.

If you could sum up A Terrible Glory in three words, what would they be?

I've been enthralled with this story for sometime, partially from growing up in Montana and partly based on the historical significance of the spread west in relation to the Indian Wars. This is a very comprehensive and history approach, unlike other approaches.

What other book might you compare A Terrible Glory to and why?

Son of the Morning Star

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The account of the follow up battle atop Reno hill in the days following Custer's last stand.

I’m not typically a fan of “shoot ‘em up westerns” (because they can be so predictable), but I found this book fascinating as it kept my attention throughout and felt as if “I was actually there” at Little Bighorn myself.

The author did a wonderful job in conveying what Custer and his men must have been going through, yet portrayed the victors in this battle… not as savages (as they’re depicted way too often), but as thoughtful, strategic, intelligent men who won a battle.. fair and square.

A really good read for those who appreciate history, yet like the truth to be told as much as possible about both sides of the coin.